Daring
by Kaeru Shisho
Summary: Duo meets the pilots at a party and works up the nerve to initiate some romance into one of his friendships.


**Daring**

Summary: Duo meets the pilots at a party and works up the nerve to initiate some romance into one of his friendships.

Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Gundam Wing or its characters, nor do I make any monetary profit off this story.

A/N: My deepest thanks go to WaterLily for editing and my best wishes go to Dyna Dee for a Happy Birthday!

**Warnings:** AU, male/male pairings

"Just look at them all."

Duo looked over at his friend beside him before scanning the crowd. "Yeah?"

"They all dressed up. Yuy has his hair trimmed! Preening!"

"It's a party, 'Fei. You bought a new tie. Even I took a shower, heh, heh…"

"That's not my point. You and I fussed up out of respect for the Peacecrafts putting on this event. They are showing off for –"

Duo's hand flew up to ward off the attacking words. "—Don't say it!"

"—You!" Wufei said just because.

"Not so." Duo sighed in defeat. He knew deep down that what Wufei said was true.

"And I didn't buy a new tie. I stole it from you," Wufei confessed.

"I didn't know I owned a winey-red tie. Keep it. It's not a good color on me."

"Thank you."

"It is on you, by the way. Good choice."

Wufei's eyes narrowed and his face soured. "They've located you."

"_Us._ Yeah, I see them."

"Disgusting."

Duo's eyebrows rose into his bangs. "Aren't _you_ old fashioned tonight?"

"What about?" Wufei snapped.

"Homosexuality's legal and pretty much accepted throughout the known universe, 'Fei."

Wufei snorted and gestured away the suggestion that he was homophobic. "If I cared, you wouldn't be my best friend. You are an idiot."

"An attractive one, though?" Duo smiled and chuckled at his friend's discomfort. "Sure you're not even an eensie, weensie bit-?"

"No! Now stop with the silly speculation and decide what you are going to do when they get here."

Duo huffed. "Geez… What I always do. Dance with the first one that asks."

"Which will be Winner, leaving Glum and Glummer to stand and pine away as the only lights in the room pair off under the crystal."

"Tro' and 'Ro do not _pine_."

"Like a pair of saplings, they suffer in silence and ooze sap. I've watched. You have danced."

"Huh. Well, why don't you dance with one of them, just to shake things up a bit?" Duo grinned. Teasing Wufei was an art form at which he had become a master.

"I am meeting someone tonight, so, actually, I can't, even though I wouldn't and not for any reason you might think."

"Oh!?" That did come as a surprise to Duo. His friend rarely showed interest in anyone, male or female, and never appeared in public with anyone, male or female, on his arm, or on their arm. Hooking up at a party of Relena's at the palace, no less, would be considered a big deal in Duo's book of Who's Who in Sanc.

Wufei assumed his prickly, porcupine defense posture. "Incoming at ten, twelve, and two o'clock, whether or not you care." Wufei wafted off, leaving Duo to handle his admirers on his own.

Duo did care. He loved all his friends. He had avoided choosing one over the others to spare them any disappointment. He cared so much it hurt. But then recently he'd noticed the way Trowa favored Quatre in very subtle ways. A touch here, a new piece of music, a shared cookie. Quatre , he felt would be good for him, draw him out of his shell. He felt good about leaving them to determine if there was enough passion between them to ignite into love.

What hurt most, fomenting actual pangs of anxiety, came from his feelings for Heero. The man he held uppermost in his affections seemed the most reluctant of all to reveal any emotional depth. Was that why he craved Heero's attention? He hoped it hadn't anything to do with why his heart pounded at the sight of him, and nearly leaped out of his chest when Heero smiled at him.

"I'll just have to give it a test to see," he decided, and stalked in the direction of "ten".

"Hey, Quat!" He called out once he'd cut him off. "I've got an undertaking of _prodigious significance_ to take care of. Maybe we can catch up later?"

He flustered his blond friend, probably as much for his use of big words as the fact that he was putting him off, but only for a few seconds. Quatre was nothing if not swift to grasp a point. "Later? Oh, yes, a later dance, of course. You have...fun!"

Duo had a course mapped out in his head which would take him on a circuitous route avoiding Trowa at "twelve" and ending up on the far side of Heero at "two", his goal. He sneaked a peak over a shoulder and smiled. "Good job, Quat." The smart blond had intercepted the quiet young man, who stood smiling, for a change, and nodding his head and raking the long bangs from his eyes.

"Two down. All clear. Here goes…" Duo muttered to himself as he closed in on his target.

Heero Yuy. The boy had been a rakish mess; the man had grown more dashing. Still oozing confidence and strength. He had a heart. Duo had heard it had been broken, but as work friends, they hadn't dwelled on what might have been. He wasn't with anyone tonight, Duo noted. "That's about to change."

And then he lost his nerve.

He slowed his march to join Heero on his march to find and stand near him, as what usually happened. Without Quatre and Trowa in range, Heero suddenly veered off course. Seeing him move away cut the spark right out of Duo's step.

"Now, don't let that stop you."

"Wha?" Duo wrenched around to locate the source of the voice in his ear. "Merquise?"

"So good of you to come to my party."

"Ah, yeah. Nice little bash you're putting on." Duo recovered his calm and centered himself. He had no desire to appear disconcerted. "How's the punch?"

Zechs smiled and tossed his head just so, causing a shiny waterfall of silvery hair to flow over his shoulder. "Would you like some?"

"Nah, I can get it myself."

"Very well. I was looking for someone. Didn't you arrive with Mr. Chang?"

"'Fei? Yeah, he's here. He went floating off in that direction looking for someone."

"Did he?" The tall man stood a bit straighter with a poise born of nobility and smiled. "It was good seeing you, but I must go now."

"Sure, you, too."

"Yuy appears to be a bit dehydrated." Zechs stepped away. "I suggest the golden punch, which is spiked. Avoid the pink one."

"Dehydrated?" Duo started to ask, but the taller man was gliding into the crowd. "Okay, 'Ro, where do you go off to?"

He located him standing uncertainly, ringed by several young ladies. Duo wished he'd be allowed to keep his camera phone to capture that expression. A little round-eyed, arms at his sides, one disappearing in a pocket and the other ending in a tight fist. Looking a lot less self-assured, Heero seemed vulnerable, even approachable, when what Duo was going to do had nothing to do with work.

He stopped on the outskirts of the girl-knot and waved subtly—a little gesture he'd copied from Trowa, a wave of fingers curling over his crossed forearms.

His reward, Heero's attention instantly became riveted to him. Eye's met eyes. "Thirsty?" he mouthed. Heero nodded. Not his usual clipped nod, but a head bob. He must have been really desperate, Duo thought, smiling.

He heard Heero mutter some "excuse me" and break away. Where he was near enough, Duo placed a hand on his shoulder and steered him toward the refreshments. He felt so macho and controlling.

"I was warned against the pink stuff," Duo said, for want of anything else to say.

"A good rule in general," Heero said agreeably.

Duo passed him a crystal cup and carried one for himself. They stepped off to the side and sipped. "Man! This oughta have a warning sign posted. It's practically inflammable!"

Heero took Duo's punch glass away and set both cups down on the table. "It's awful."

"Yeah, pretty much," Duo agreed. His hands were shaking so he set down the cup a fast as possible. Shaking! Heero was making him nervous? He felt around for pockets into which to stuff and hide his telltale hands, find, instead, the end of his braid. He could frazzle that.

"Are you…dating anyone?"

Heero's question had been so unexpected he practically shouted, "No!? Ah, not lately… not really ever, what with, you know, the war and now this…" His voice trailed off as he gestured to the room at large, which was filled with mostly Preventers agents. They were being celebrated for protecting the palace from a terrorist attack. Or something. Duo hadn't been clear on that. Since the end of the war he had transitioned to Preventers and hardly missed a beat of action. Downtime? Dating? He wished.

"Me neither," Heero admitted. "Every minute of time we've dedicated to work. I'm tired of it."

"You?" Duo had to think to close his gaping mouth, awed by that bit of information. He'd though Heero would have to be chained to, well, restrained in some way in order to pry him away from work.

"Keeping up with you has been hard." Heero peered at him through a messy shock of hair, which no amount of combing and conditioner seemed able to tame.

Duo gawped back. "Me? I've just been trailing after you!"

Heero shook his head with a mumbled, "Idiot."

"What did you say?"

"Would you consider going out with me, assuming we find the time?"

"Me date you?" Duo repeated, just to make sure. When Heero nodded, he smiled. "Wow. I ain't _never_ gonna work again. There's so much I wanna do and see and I just wanted someone, well, honestly, just you, to do it all with."

His comments set Heero to chuckling. "Don't count on me supporting you."

Duo flushed instantly. "Oh, no, I mean, I didn't mean it that way, it's just I take more time off and all, you know—"

"I _do_. I'll take time off too. So we can—"

"—do stuff!"

"Yes." Heero smiled into Duo's face and with a finger, brushed away a few stray wisps of hair.

"Would you like to dance?" They both said this simultaneously.

Duo laughed and Heero smiled.

"I can tell this is gonna be one hellava night," Duo said.

"That's good, isn't it?" Heero said needing a bit of reassurance.

"The best."

The End.


End file.
